Looking in the direction of the sound, a young female Soul Reaper in a Shihakushō raised her Zanpakutō in the air, her face serious.
Light bloomed, and a weapon resembling a monk's staff appeared in her hands.
With the dance of Mirokumaru, a wind rose from the flat ground, howling and surging in an instant. Reiatsu filled the air, turning it into an all-consuming hurricane that pressed down on the bizarre creatures.
The fierce wind erupted, sweeping wildly and filled with countless invisible wind blades.
In just an instant, it submerged all those bizarre creatures. Without even a single wail, the enemies in sight were sliced into countless tiny Reishi and completely vanished into the air.
The appearance matched, the techniques and abilities matched, and even the unobstructed Senna-style flat plains matched.
Although it wasn't quite clear why this young female Soul Reaper appeared at this point in time, the culprit responsible for destroying the balance between the Soul Society and the World of the Living could be confirmed.
It was exactly the Ryūdōji clan, exiled by Central 46 a thousand years ago.
Not only did those guys not die in the Dangai, but they multiplied and even mastered the ability to control the souls within the Dangai.
Just as he was pondering what caused this event to happen ahead of schedule, the girl noticed the two people observing from afar.
One wore a Shihakushō with a white haori draped over it, looking like a certain Captain of the Soul Society, but strangely, there was no number written on his back.
The other wore casual clothes from the World of the Living and had a very respectful attitude, not looking like a Soul Reaper.
"As a Soul Reaper, not only do you not lend a hand, but you stand on the sidelines and watch the show?"
At some point, the girl had already appeared in front of Naraku Sora, hands on her hips, glaring at the person before her with puffed-up cheeks.
"Even if you are a Captain, I'm going to report you to Squad One and have the Head Captain punish you for the crime of fleeing from battle."
Hearing this, Naraku Sora paused for a moment, then grinned and laughed:
"Heh heh, do you know the process for filing a complaint?"
"First, you need to write three explanatory reports and submit them to the Captain and Lieutenant of your respective Squad, as well as Lieutenant Sasakibe of Squad One. Secondly, you must clarify the identity of the sinner.
"Putting everything else aside, do you even know who I am?"
The girl was intimidated by his self-righteous aura and subconsciously replied, "N-No, I don't."
"Sōken, you tell her."
Ishida Sōken smiled bitterly, not understanding why Naraku Sora was so keen on teasing a Soul Reaper who wasn't even a seated officer, but he honestly explained:
"Ahem, standing before you is—"
"The Prison Warden of the Shino Prison, an inner court organization independent of the Gotei 13, the beloved disciple of Head Captain Yamamoto, a strong contender for the future Head Captain position, and the one to whom the Quincies of the World of the Living pledge their loyalty.
"Lord Naraku Sora."
A certain someone grinned, saying smugly:
"Understand now? Even if you go and complain, my teacher will just pretend he didn't see it. This is the darkness of the Soul Society."
The girl's pupils shrank drastically, her face full of shock.
She hadn't expected that a casual question would reveal the shady dealings hidden beneath the Soul Society's superficial prosperity.
Speaking of which, the other party didn't look like a good person.
Would he suddenly attack her because of this, nipping the danger in the bud?
Thinking of this, the expression on the girl's face became a bit awkward. She quietly took a few steps back and forced a smile:
"I suddenly remembered that I still have other missions to complete.
"Lord Naraku, if there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave."
With that said, without waiting for a response, the girl turned and ran. Her Flash Step speed was so fast that it even surpassed the vast majority of seated officers.
Seeing this, Naraku Sora let out a sinister chuckle and went straight after her.
The girl's identity was already confirmed.
If she were left wandering outside, she would definitely be targeted by the Ryūdōji clan. When that time came, she would certainly be captured and used as the starter for their Chibaku Tensei.
The Prison Warden was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see such a thing happen.
If she could be saved, he still had to save her.
Watching the two figures chasing and fleeing, Ishida Sōken sighed helplessly.
Although it looked dangerous, based on his understanding of Naraku Sora, that young Soul Reaper would be fine.
Well, probably.
The girl unleashed the fastest Flash Step of her entire life, leaving the park in the blink of an eye and streaking across the sky like a shooting star.
The city's scenery flashed by rapidly below, retreating backwards.
It wasn't until she flew out of the bustling downtown area and arrived at the sparsely populated outskirts that the girl finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I can't sense that guy's Reiatsu. It looks like I shook him off."
"Good thing that person doesn't know my name, otherwise, it would be a disaster if he went back and told the Captain."
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from behind her.
"This Prison Warden knows astronomy above and geography below; there are very few things in this world that can escape my eyes and ears."
Hearing this voice, the girl's heartbeat abruptly stopped.
She turned her head in shock, moving like an old, rusty gear in disrepair, emitting a stiff clicking sound.
A pure, harmless smile came into view, instantly making her hair stand on end and sending a chill down her spine.
Naraku Sora smiled faintly, "If I remember correctly, your name is Senna. Am I right?"
The girl took a deep breath, her expression turning serious.
"That's right!
"But even so, I will absolutely never compromise with you."
Saying this, Senna reached back and gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist. With a sharp metallic ring, she drew it, and a powerful Reiatsu immediately surged out, wrapping around the blade like a ribbon.
"Bring down the night sky, Mirokumaru!"
The Zanpakutō transformed into a golden monk's staff and smashed forward with an indomitable momentum.
However, just as Senna thought the other party would also draw his sword to meet the attack, she suddenly realized that Naraku Sora was just standing there blankly, making no move at all.
Kind-hearted as she was, she immediately called out a warning, "Dodge quickly! Mirokumaru's..."
At this moment, it was already too late.
The monk's staff smashed heavily against that sturdy chest.
Boom!
A high-pitched sound of clashing metal erupted, and a rebounding force transmitted back. Senna's face was filled with shock and bewilderment as she stared closely at Naraku Sora's completely unharmed chest, not understanding what had just happened.
"Do you still not understand?"
Naraku Sora grinned. "The gap between you and me is like a mayfly looking up at the vast blue sky."
Senna's pupils quaked, and she nearly lost all courage to struggle.
But at the critical moment, images of battling Hollows suddenly flashed through her mind, and her extinguished fighting spirit unexpectedly reignited.
She gripped Mirokumaru and launched another attack.
A flurry of thrusts and slashes appeared one after another. Her techniques were dazzling, her movements sometimes standard and orthodox, sometimes familiar and relaxed, and sometimes sluggish and awkward.
It was as if multiple personalities were constantly switching.
But from beginning to end, Senna's expression didn't change much.
In short, it was very strange.
Naraku Sora didn't even draw his sword. He merely extended a single finger and effortlessly blocked all of Senna's attacks.
He even had the mind to analyze the girl's current state.
In his memory, Senna was the manifestation of the Shinenju, an amalgamation of the memories of countless Blanks.
The piecing together of countless memory fragments caused her attacks to fluctuate between strong and weak, lacking cohesion.
Considering the girl had probably only been born a few days ago, being able to display this level of strength was already something to be proud of.
After figuring out all her secrets, Naraku Sora lost the mood to continue playing with the girl. He extended his finger, holding it upright in front of him:
"[Bakudō #63・Sajō Sabaku]."
A dazzling golden chain whistled out, overbearingly scattering Senna's Shakkahō before wrapping solidly around her body.
Immediately after, Naraku Sora skillfully hoisted the immobilized girl onto his shoulder, preparing to greet Ishida Sōken before returning to the Soul Society.
However, right at that moment, the nearby space suddenly produced abnormal fluctuations.
Following that, the sound of shattering rang out, revealing a profound darkness.
Senna stared in astonishment at the strange figure stepping out from the darkness, not understanding what kind of day today was to encounter so many completely baffling things.
"To think a Soul Reaper beat us to it. As expected of the lapdogs of the Five Great Noble Families, your sense of smell is truly sharp enough."
A burly, muscular man holding a giant maraca-like weapon, with a veil hanging over his face, spoke in a muffled voice.
"Since that's the case, I'll just have to kill you first and then take the Shinenju back."
The moment his words fell, the burly man had already Flash Stepped directly in front of Naraku Sora. His giant hammer was raised high, and the face beneath the veil was filled with savage ferocity.
'He hasn't even reacted yet. He really is a weakling.'
He could already envision the beautiful scene of this Soul Reaper's brains bursting apart.
A fierce wind howled. Before the giant hammer could even fall, a figure streaked across the sky like a meteor. Rings of air waves instantly exploded as he crashed through several buildings in succession, the deafening roar echoing endlessly.
Finally, he smashed directly into the ground, creating a terrifying crater a hundred meters in diameter and instantly kicking up a massive cloud of bright red dust.
"..."
"Has your brain degenerated from not interacting with the outside world for so long?"
Naraku Sora raised an eyebrow, asking in confusion:
"You didn't think this haori I'm wearing was just for decoration, did you?"
Seeing the burly man's miserable state, Senna, who was draped over his shoulder, subconsciously held her breath, a look of horror appearing on her face.
'Is this guy's strength really this terrifying?'
At the same time, the other Ryūdōji clan members who had just stepped out of the Dangai were shocked beyond measure.
No one knew the burly man's strength better than they did.
Although he couldn't compare to a true Soul Reaper Captain, he was still capable of rivaling a Lieutenant.
The original battle plan was for him to draw attention from the front while the others launched a sneak attack from the flanks.
With several of them joining forces, it would have been enough to handle a Soul Reaper Captain.
But they never expected that this young Soul Reaper, whose haori didn't even have a number, would be so terrifying.
He was simply a monster.
The remaining few no longer dared to think about the mission of retrieving the Shinenju; their top priority now was to save their own lives.
The Ryūdōji clan's great vengeance had yet to be exacted; they absolutely could not die so easily on the eve of victory.
Without any hesitation or delay, the group turned around and sprinted back the way they came. The speed of their Flash Steps was arguably the fastest of their entire lives.
Watching their pathetic fleeing figures, Naraku Sora's mouth curled into a grin. He patted the girl on his shoulder:
"Hmph, trying to escape?"